Mind Games
by DesertAnubis
Summary: Seto Kaiba hallucinates. No, for real this time.


Backstory: This is set after the events of Dark Between Dimensions. I wrote this up about halfway through writing my other YGO story, Dawn of Pandemonium. It was originally a part of the Dawn of Pandemonium, but I changed up the part of the plot this was supposed to depict, so it wound up getting cut out. I still like it, though, so I'm posting it as a standalone.

* * *

Blue eyes fixed on the mirror, studying the sharp image of the gaming tycoon, Seto Kaiba. Today was going to be busy; he was acquiring a smaller startup that had shown enormous potential in non-visual sensory perception. He adjusted his tie and grabbed his briefcase, then headed out and down to the foyer.

Mokuba was waiting, and as their eyes met, his little brother grinned up at him. "Ready to go, Seto?" He asked.

Since he was already heading to the door as if he knew the answer, Seto didn't bother giving him one.

They stepped out into the sunlight and headed across the lawn towards the limo parked and waiting for them.

 _That's strange. I could've sworn I'd decided to take the jet._ Seto thought, but before he'd completed the thought, the whole world rippled under his feet, and he gave a start. "What the—"

Mokuba paused and looked back at him. "Seto? What's up?"

"You didn't feel that?" Seto asked, a little taken aback. Usually, if things got… unusual, Mokuba could see what was going on. He'd bought into all of it long before Seto had finally caved to the evidence.

Unless…

The bushes nearby started to shake, and he stiffened, turning and bracing himself. "Stay behind me, Mokuba."

"What is it? What's going on, Seto?" Mokuba asked nervously.

"Show yourself!" Seto snapped at the bushes.

There was silence.

"…There's nothing there." Mokuba said slowly.

Seto froze. _He_ could see a -lot- there. The bushes had come to life, and thorny vines were snaking across the ground and through the air towards him. Mokuba wouldn't have ignored that.

Not if it was real.

 _No._ He thought, half in defiance and half in horror. _It can't be!_ He took a step back, and Mokuba ducked hastily out of the way.

"Seto?" He asked, giving his brother a worried look. "Are you feeling okay?"

 _The only possible explanation is that I'm hallucinating!_ Seto felt a chill run down his spine. _This time for real!_

One of the vines seized Mokuba, and Seto flinched involuntarily. "Mokuba!"

But Mokuba just kept staring at him with that look of concern. "Seto?"

The briefcase hit the pavement with a clatter, and he dropped to his knees. One hand went to his head, and he stared at the ground, trying to ignore the vines snaking closer and closer.

"Mokuba," He said, his voice trembling with the effort to stay calm. "I think I'm hallucinating."

One of them slithered up his free arm and wrapped slowly around it, as if it knew he was having trouble deciding what to do.

"Hallucinating?" Mokuba sounded puzzled and alarmed. "Seto? What should I do?"

"I think—" He winced as the vine tightened, the thorns biting into his flesh. "I think—" His voice betrayed his fear, and he stopped, clutching his arm and shaking. His breath rattled, and it took him a moment to compose himself.

 _I have to test this. I have to make sure it isn't real. If it's actually a hallucination, I…_

"It's got my arm." He managed, trying to keep his voice steady. "Would you mind… seeing if you can move it for me?" He asked.

Mokuba, still worried, nodded. "Sure, bro." He came around and reached for Seto's arm.

As he did, though, the plants tightened painfully, and Seto winced, bowing his head as he tried not to shout in pain. By the time he'd overcome it, his arm was raised, and Mokuba was holding it, looking a little awkward.

"Did that help?" He asked.

 _Damn! I can't tell…_ Seto grimaced. _If he did it, or the plants…_

The vines gave a sudden pull, and he was yanked face-first onto the pavement. He yelped and bit his lip, clutching his shoulder and burying his face in his arm.

"Seto, what are you doing?!" Mokuba gasped in alarm. "Seto!"

 _I've lost it!_ He thought in a panic. _The pressure's finally gotten to me! My mind… I'm going insane…_

"Come on, Seto! You've gotta get up!" Mokuba crouched next to him and shook his shoulder, completely ignoring the vines that wrapped around them both.

The vines tugged him along by his arm, and he bit back a whimper. _This is it… my mind's finally snapped…_

"Seto! Come on! Wake up!"

* * *

He jolted awake and sat up, panting with terror. For a wild moment, nothing he saw made sense, and he moaned, clutching his head and shaking like a leaf.

"Seto! It's okay! It was just a nightmare!"

Mokuba was beside him, a worried look on his face.

 _Am I still…_

But nothing was moving. There were no vines. He was in his bedroom.

 _A nightmare._

A faint breath of relief passed through him. It wasn't enough to banish the horror of his dream, but… at least it had _been_ a dream.

"Seto?" Mokuba asked in a low, uneasy tone. "Can you hear me?"

He settled. He couldn't quite relax; the dream had been so vivid that part of him was worried he was still trapped in it, and that maybe this was the hallucination, meant to keep him tranquilized.

He felt sick.

Mokuba gave a start and jumped back, narrowly missing the vomit as his brother leaned over the side of the bed. "Seto!" He gasped in alarm.

Seto stayed there for a moment, his arms shaking, but then they caved and he started to drop.

"Seto!" Mokuba repeated, coming forward and avoiding the sick as he caught his brother.

Seto groaned.

"Dang. You're burning up." Mokuba said quietly as he checked Seto's forehead. "Here, lie down. I'll go get help."

But as he was maneuvered back into bed, the thought of having another nightmare burst through the haze, and he struggled. "No! I can't!" He tried to push Mokuba off, but he didn't have the strength, and instead clutched him for support. "Mokuba—" His voice broke, and he shivered.

"I have to get a doctor, Seto!" Mokuba said worriedly. "I think you've got a fever! You're very sick, and I have to get help—"

"Please," He trembled with the effort. "Mokuba… help…"

He slumped, passing out.

Mokuba gave a start as the rest of Seto's weight fell on him. He staggered, but kept his brother up, and was able to maneuver him back into bed.

"Seto…" He hesitated, biting his lip with worry.

His brother's face was flushed, and his breathing was labored. He had never seen Seto look or sound so frightened before.

"I'll be right back, I promise." He said quietly. "I'm going to get help."

He looked down and grimaced. Luckily, he'd been wearing shoes. He stepped back and kicked them off, then ran out the door. "Roland! Seto's sick! Call the doctors!"

* * *

"So what is it?" Mokuba asked as one of the doctors stepped away from the bed. Seto had been moved to a hospital, and he'd been unconscious the entire time.

"It's definitely a fever." The doctor said. "Not to worry. That's easy enough to treat. He'll just be bedridden for a bit."

"Are you sure?" Mokuba asked worriedly, glancing over at Seto. "Why isn't he waking up?"

"He needs rest. A fever can be very taxing, and if your brother's been through a lot of stress recently, it will take time for him to recover." The doctor patted his shoulder. "It's all right. He'll be up soon; just be patient."

 _Stress._ Mokuba looked back. _I wonder if the Cube had anything to do with this._

He grimaced. _I warned him not to use it!_

* * *

He was standing in a desert.

The Blue-Eyes Jet was right behind him. There was a briefcase in his hand. The heat was making shimmering mirages all across the horizon.

 _There's only one way to shut these guys up for good._ He thought. _I have to prove them all wrong._

He frowned. _Wait. Didn't this already happen?_

The tomb was waiting. He started down the steps.

 _Bakura._ He thought, but the body wasn't there anymore. He blinked. _Guess not._

The main chamber was devoid of the bodies of Yugi and his friends, as well.

He wandered forward. _So this isn't a memory,_ He thought. _Then… what is it?_

He looked up at the stone tablet and read the inscriptions. His mouth twitched at the wording. _Definitely my handiwork._ He thought, then stopped. _Mine? No, that priest's._ His eyes narrowed and he looked back at the tablet. _The Pharaoh's successor._

 _King of Egypt._

He looked up at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon over the priest's head. _That girl…_

He pulled out the three Blue-Eyes from his deck and gazed at them for a moment, then looked back up at the tablet.

 _Yugi said the Pharaoh got his memories back by lifting the three Egyptian God cards._ He thought. _Ingenious, on my part. Only the Pharaoh would assemble all three._ He mused. _But if this really is my handiwork, then that's not all this tablet does._

 _Because_ I'm _the only one who would have a Blue-Eyes in his deck._

He lifted the three Blue-Eyes, and the tablet started to glow.

 _Yep. I'm dreaming about an old rock with pictures on it and believing it can show me yet another hallucination if I lift three dragons from a card game invented in the past decade._ He thought as the light grew blinding.

* * *

He was standing on a balcony, gazing out over an ancient city of stone. His hand was clasped, and for a split second he thought he was holding a briefcase, but it was the Millennium Rod. Looking down at it showed him he was also dressed in robes of blue, decorated with gold.

 _Oh great. I'm dressed in some ancient guy's idea of fineries._ He thought.

Then paused. _Actually, that's not bad, considering this outfit's from five thousand years ago._ He admired it for a moment. Heh. _Trust me to find the absolute best._

A shadow passed over him, and he looked up, but it was the Blue-Eyes. The dragon drifted across the courtyard, then circled around to come back to him. He stepped away from the stone wall before he'd even thought about it, but somehow, he knew it wanted to land, and he was giving it space.

The wings beat to steady itself as the four claws hit stone. The dragon perched there for a moment, looking almost like a giant bird of prey, then stepped down, and as it did, it glowed, becoming a shapeless form of white light.

His eyes widened as it resolved. "It's you." He recognized.

The peasant girl with long white hair and brilliant blue eyes gazed back.

"Kisara." He said quietly. He hadn't forgotten her name; for some reason, it had been etched into his mind… right next to Blue-Eyes.

"Hello, Seto." She replied, stepping forward until she was only a few feet away.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm not that priest guy you were really into, even though I'm wearing his clothes."

She gave him a sideways look, her mouth twitching in humor. "You think I can't tell the difference? I've been watching over you for thousands of years, _Seto_." She said with faint emphasis.

He frowned. "Pretty sure I can take care of myself." He said.

She gave him a faint smirk. "What, do you think I'd give my power to someone who couldn't?" She returned.

It was his turn to give her a sideways look. "Why me?" He asked. "If you were into that priest, what would he think about this?" But as he said it, he realized he was thinking of how Yugi and the Pharaoh weren't one and the same. And something was different about this.

"He's standing right here." She returned wryly, then raised an eyebrow. "So, what _do_ you think about this?"

His mouth twitched, and he snorted. "You got me there." He said. He looked around at what appeared to be an ancient bedroom. "What is this place? Where are we?"

Kisara glanced at the bed, then back, her expression becoming faintly coy. "You built it so we could commune. I couldn't exactly cross over once my spirit was sealed."

He stiffened, suddenly uncomfortable when he realized what she was hinting at. "You mean to tell me I made this place just to…" He faltered at the look on her face.

Her eyes were cold, but she seemed to stop herself. She cast around for a moment, then reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Come." She said, tugging him with surprising strength to the balcony. There, she became the White Dragon again, and scooped him up onto her back. He grabbed on, his heart jumping as the Blue-Eyes powered into the air.

The wind battered him, and he bent low as she swooped and soared, racing through the sky with what was probably unnecessary speed. She roared, and he yelled, clinging on for dear life as she flew upside down.

She whirled suddenly, and he lost his grip. He started, then yelled as he started to plummet.

She dived after him, but didn't catch him; instead, she fell with him, her wings pinned against her side.

 _What are you doing?!_ He tried to speak, but with the wind rushing past him, he doubted even she could hear him. Not that she'd answer, given she was the one who'd thrown him off and she was the one who wasn't worried about ending up as a pancake.

 _Great. I'm going to die, and I'm going to think it was Blue-Eyes who killed me._

The dragon's gaze met his, and it flipped around, flapping its wings to push itself closer to him. He reached out and seized the white scales, pulling himself to her with relief, and she pulled out of the dive, mercifully sparing him.

But she wasn't done yet. She flew skyward again, but she didn't stop once she'd reached a certain height. She just kept powering upward, roaring as they passed through the clouds and burst out into a world of sunlight. Seto looked back at the rapidly receding earth, then back up as the dragon shot up through the sky towards the sun.

The atmosphere thinned, but though he should have found it difficult to breathe, he was fine… at least on that account. It was still cold, and the solar winds buffeted him with even greater strength than before. He shivered, clinging to the back of the dragon he'd been obsessed with since he'd first learned of its existence. In all the intervening years, it seemed that he was only now getting to see its true colors for the first time.

She tilted, and his heart leapt into his throat, but all she did was pull into an orbit; in a matter of moments, he felt weightless.

She looked back, and for a moment, he felt as if he was staring into the eyes of something more vast than the cosmos that surrounded him.

He felt dizzy and lightheaded. This… _this_ was what he had been obsessing over. He could see it - he could see it all in her eyes. From the very first moment he'd seen the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, even though he hadn't known it at the time… _this_ was what he had been searching for. The thing that had consumed his soul.

She bared her fangs, and a million thoughts chased themselves through his mind at once. It was too difficult to catch more than a glimpse, but all he knew was that it all revolved around her, and everything they could do together. Blood rushed to his cheeks, and despite the frigidity of space, he felt his entire body heating up with passion.

"Kisara…" He mumbled, reaching out.

The hard scales became soft flesh, and she turned to look up into his eyes. They were back in the bedroom, lying on the bed, but none of that mattered or even registered to him. All he cared about was her.

* * *

Mokuba looked up at the clock. Hours had passed, but time seemed to drag. Nurses would come in occasionally to check up on him and his brother, but though they kept telling him that Seto would wake up soon, nothing happened.

He'd called the board to let them know that Seto was sick. They had been planning to finalize the acquisition of another company today, and he knew Seto wanted to be in on that, but with him down for the count, the board wanted to move ahead anyway. And honestly, Mokuba couldn't argue; he didn't know when Seto would wake up, and he hoped that acquiring the company would be more important than waiting for him and missing the acquisition.

Seto stirred and moaned, and Mokuba looked up in surprise. "Seto?" He asked, but his brother just rolled over, his face tightening in a grimace.

Mokuba hesitated, then got up. If Seto was having another nightmare…

"Kisara…"

He blinked. _Kisara? Who's that?_ He wondered, surprised.

Seto's expression smoothed out, and he looked almost… serene. He relaxed, and after a moment, Mokuba sat down again.

 _Guess he's not waking up just yet. How much longer is it gonna be?_


End file.
